Krank

I think it packs a pretty solid punch given its size. It has a bone crushing scooped tone. If you like that style of music – this may be the amp for you. It does 1 thing(versus the expandability of the RM20), and does it well. A simple amp that sounds good if you are into the Krank / scooped style of music. It also has a nice boost button that really kicks it into overdrive. Some things I think they could have done better … I wish there was a standby switch, to perhaps save a bit of life on my tubes (tubes aren’t cheap!!). The tube placement also seems a bit crowded – especially for the size tubes that come installed – it can get pretty hot in there. I’m not sure if there are longer term effects of this – but it was an observation.

Randall

Randall also packs a solid punch. Tone wise, the Randall has a bit more midrange punch to it, which in general will typically cut through a mix better, more so than a pure scooped tone. One of the things a lot of people don’t consider when buying an amp, is how well it will work when playing along w/ a band. Remember – a guitar is a midrange instrument … so, whereas an amp can make your rig sound bad-ass by killing the mids – as soon as you take that amp, and play along w/ drums & bass – it gets lost – or becomes bass heavy. Even when scooping the mids – the Randall (to my ears) maintained that bit of midrange punch, a little more so than the Krank. Now, being that the Randall costs more – the truth is – you get what you pay for. It’s expandable – so if you get tired of the scooped / UltraXL sound, you don’t have to forklift your entire rig – you can just get another module – which (price wise) is perfect for a birthday gift, holiday gift, or ‘life sucks, let me go spend some $$ to make myself feel better’ gift, etc.

Summary

I’d say, if you can afford the upfront cost, the Randall will give you greater flexibility over the long haul. If you’re on a tight budget and you’ve found what you are looking for in the Krank, and aren’t one for change … then perhaps the Krank is for you. Feature wise – The Randall does have more. It has a Presence & Density control which can really thicken up the tone (perhaps a benefit if you have less control over the type of cabinet you are playing into) and an on-board boost function (giving you pedal like control functionality). It also has a standby switch. And, for those that care ~ both amps are made in the USA – which is awesome!